LISNews: Librarian News

My thoughts began whirring after reading an article entitled On Men, Elevator Speeches and Market Segments on the Marketing for Libraries. by Library People blog. I had already posted a comment on my elevator speech to the article and then began to thinking about men as a market segment. These thoughts come not from any particular formal research, but from thirteen years of experience in circulation, readers' advisory and reference along with fifty-one years of being a male. Women have two more reasons for gravitating toward the library as men: 1. They tend to come to the library, for the sake of their children, or grandchildren and 2. Women tend to read more for pure pleasure than do men. Let me say about these observations, they are based on my experience with one library in Nebraska. Also these reasons may evolve a great deal as sexual roles and family roles evolve. 1. Women tend to come for the sake of children and grandchildren. Since in traditional roles, women were home with the children, while men worked, women tend to be more interested in nurturing the education of their children and grandchildren. This tendency has tended to remain in our community, even after the majority of women have entered the workforce. This means that adult women come back to the library sooner and remain involved longer than their male counterparts. 2. Women tend to read more for pure pleasure/ entertainment. This is based on three observations: a. Women tend to check out more fiction, narrative nonfiction and biographies/ memoirs than to men. b. Women tend to have a greater variety of genres that entertain them, than do men. -- Read More

Librarians are only surpassed by religious fundamentalists in their dystopian view of their futures. The past week has shown to me that all this negativity may well be unwarranted. The sheer number of news sources and bloggers who picked up the story of the .Texas Wal Mart that was turned into a library demonstrates to me that when people really think about it, they want to see libraries succeed.

When I first dipped my foot into social media people would frequently ask me, "When will books go away? When will libraries disappear?" That was back when the e-book reader was born and the stock market crash started. The economy was shaken to its core. The fiscal libertarians salivated over the possibility of the possibility of eviscerating the government and slashing the social safety net to shreds. Conservatives and liberals looked at the internet as the ultimate replacement of everything library. Data phones, e-book readers and tablet computers seemed to point to a future when libraries and paper books could be viewed as irrelevant. -- Read More

The following article was published at http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/03/why-amish-matter.html
Someone posted a question on Twitter that got me thinking: What's up with all the Amish books? I did not join the discussion because it was addressed to Christian book authors, but it made me think about the topic for some time.

The most crass and commercial answer is to say that bonnet fiction sells, but obviously there is more to it than that.

The first Amish stories were collected by Mennonite publishers beginning circa 1970 to preserve the stories of the old ways in which many Mennonites once lived. As the Anabaptist peoples plodded slowly to modernity many wanted a reference point to the past. Writers included both historical and fictional accounts of Amish stories to remind the young of the life they once had, and that some still practice. I became acquainted to this literature while in seminary.

Amish literature takes a fresh look at the church and contemporary Christian life. It is a critique of both Amish legalism and contemporary license. For some fundamentalist groups, the act of writing fiction is taboo. On the other hand, it is faith affirming to view a faith that matters to the community. This is rare in our increasingly secularized society. -- Read More

This article was originally published at http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/03/for-librarians-librarianship-is-still.html.

While technology and gadgets seem to be overtaking much of library work, the love of words, the love of books is at the heart of librarianship for librarians around the world. The article "Internet is Discouraging Book Reading, Librarian Says" http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/internet-is-discouraging-book-reading-librarian-says tells the story of Abdul Razak Al Khumairi of the UAE and Arabian Gulf Library. The following quotes from the article demonstrates that for librarians everywhere it is still about the books.

"Oh, I know people think it is the most unprestigious job out there, but to me it is the most rewarding as books have been my teachers, my solace and friends in my darkest hours," he said.
"They have given me a second chance in life."

Continuing:

"Cataloguing, indexing and shelving is an art; it is not just a matter of putting a book on a shelf," he said.

Continuing:

"Unfortunately, the questions are often about internet access," he said, laughing. "The internet is a curse in many ways. It is killing our Arabic language and has made people too lazy to go check out a book for information."

Continuing:

"Parents need to come to the library with their kids. That will change everything," he said, fondly recalling a frequent childhood image of his mother with a book, sitting across the kitchen while the food was cooking.

Finally: -- Read More

This is from Cardinal Opportunities at the South Sioux City Public Library http://ssclibrarycardinalopportunities.blogspot.com/2012/02/february-is-love-your-library-mo....

The following was published in the Dakota County Star newspaper on 2/16/2012.

Technology Classes:
Tues Feb 21, 5:30pm: Yahoo Messenger: Do you have friends or family that live so far away you never get to see them. Yahoo Messenger provides you the opportunity to keep in contact with them for free. Yahoo Messenger is a free instant messaging program that allows you to visually see, talk to and even sends text messages to individuals all over the world. This class will teach you how to set up an account and what type of equipment you will need for your computer.

Wed Feb 22, 11am: Smartphone App's: Do you carry a "computer" in your pocket by way of a Smartphone? Want to know about programs that you can do on your Smartphone? Stop on in and let us help with that information.

Wed Feb 22, 2pm: Google's Documents Spotlight: This class will give learners an opportunity to learn how to create word processing documents, spreadsheets and presentations in the cloud and share them with friends.

Movies:
On Tuesday night Feb 21, 7pm the library will show our Classic Movie/Discussion. A rich young woman marries an idle playboy against her father's will. Her father holds her captive on his yacht but she escapes and, while on her way to New York, becomes entangled with an unemployed news reporter. The movie stars Clarke Gable and Claudette Colbert. -- Read More

Nazis from the moon, futuristic apocalyptic books & movies, roots music and library programming were some of the most popular topics at the Antiquarian Librarian this week.

January: This Month in Movies http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/january-this-month-in-movies.html was the most popular link last week and is again this week. Here I touch on the various movies I watched during the month of January.

The Great American Bird Count @ your Library http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/02/great-american-bird-count-your-library.html is the weekly column I write for the South Sioux City Public Library.

Iron Sky Trailer http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/02/iron-sky-trailer.html Iron Sky is a science fiction movie in which a Nazi culture that was planted on the dark side of the moon invades the earth in 2018. The movie will premiere in Finland on April 4, 2012 and Germany soon after that. Enjoy the trailer.

VFTB 027: Tom Horn — Apollyon Rising 2012 http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/12/vftb-027-tom-horn-apollyon-rising-2012.html This link is to a 2009 interview in which Derek Gilbert, author of The God Conspiracy, interviews Tom Horn, author of Apollyon Rising 2012.

CFBA Book Review: Blue Moon Bay by Lisa Wingate http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/02/cfba-book-review-blue-moon-bay-by-lisa.html This is a Christian Fiction Blog Alliance book review of Lisa Wingate's new book Blue Moon Bay. -- Read More

This was first posted in Cardinal Opportunities @ the South Sioux City Public Library http://ssclibrarycardinalopportunities.blogspot.com/2012/02/robotics-library.html

A Big Thank You
We want to give a big Thank You to the Optimist Club of Siouxland for the donation that will be put to use for our Summer Reading Program and providing fun entertainment to the youth of our community during the summer!

Robotics Club
Come and explore the exciting world of robotics using the Lego Mindstorm NXT robots at monthly meetings at the South Sioux City Library. Learn how to build and program the robot and much more through hands-on challenges.

This club is open to all youth ages 10 and above. For more information, please contact: UNL Extension in Dakota County,
1505 Broadway; PO Box 129, Dakota City, NE 68731, 402-98402-987-2140, http://-dakota.unl.edu

The first meeting will be held on Thursday night February 9th, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. at the South Sioux City Public Library, 2121 Dakota Avenue, South Sioux City, Nebraska.

February Real to Reel Movie
In our February Real to Reel Movie we live with the dolphins. Douglas Young, The Movie Guy, describes the movie as the story of: "a lonely and friendless boy finds and untangles a hurt dolphin that is caught in a crab trap. He becomes very attached to the dolphin when the tail must be taken off to save the dolphin's life. The boy believes the dolphin would be able to swim normally if it was given a prosthetic tale". The movie is scheduled for Thursday night February 9th at 6 p.m. and Saturday February 18th at 2 p.m. -- Read More

As of 5:00 p.m. on February 4, the following are the most popular blog posts for the Antiquarian Librarian Blog this week.

January: This Month in Movies http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/january-this-month-in-movies.html is a list of movies I watched and commented on during the month of January.

March Technology Classes at the South Sioux City Public Library http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/march-technology-classes-at-south-sioux....

The Top 50 Breakthrough Recordings This Week, January 27, 2012 http://the antiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/top-50-breakthrough-recordings-this_28.html

What's Happening in Roots Music This Week, January 27, 2012 http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/roots-country-airplay-1-robert-earl.html

Goodbye! Bill Wallace http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/goodbye-bill-wallace.html A fond farewell to children's author, Bill Wallace.

NASA's IBEX Spacecraft Reveals New Observations http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/02/nasas-ibex-spacecraft-reveals-new.html

Webpage Updates for the South Sioux City Public Library http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/02/webpage-updates-for-south-sioux-city.html

12 helpful books about social media http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/12-helpful-books-about-social-media.html -- Read More

The following was published this week in the Dakota County (Nebraska) Star and online at http://ssclibrarycardinalopportunities.blogspot.com/2012/01/action-and-adventure-library.html

Special Movie Presentation in Memory of Audrey Murphy
The library will host a Special Movie on Wednesday February 1st at 6:30 p.m. We visit the lawless frontier village of Shinbone, a town plagued by a larger-than-life nemesis, Liberty Valance. The town lawyer and a local rancher share the same desire to rid the town of Liberty Valance and winning the hand of the same woman. The movie stars Lee Marvin, James Stewart and John Wayne. The movie is shown in memorial to Audrey Murphy, who was both a supporter of the library and a great John Wayne fan.

Technology Classes
Mon. Jan 30, 10am Word 2: We will add to our knowledge from Word 1 and expand a little bit more. We will discuss the ruler, insert/overtype, cut and paste, using the clipboard, and paragraph styles.

Mon. Jan 30, 2pm Using Reference Sources: By using reference tools, we will cover how to find information on Wilson Web, eLibrary and HeritageQuest.

Mon. Jan 30, 6pm Your Library Web Page: Learn everything that you have available on the library web page. How to renew books, how to search for jobs, find out important information, what books your favorite author has written. All this information will be revealed and more.

Tues. Jan 31, 6pm Excel 3: If you need to insert a chart into an Excel worksheet, this class will teach you how. We will also talk about page breaks and printing your document. -- Read More

I wanted to write a railing piece about the new Harper Collins twenty-six checkout limit on ebooks, but Friday I had to finish a day of work and take my wife out for a date night before I could sit down to write.

This has given me the opportunity to read the reactions of librarian-bloggers. The reactions fell into two camps. The largest group was the" believers", those who saw ebooks as a means of library renaissance on the foundation of digital content. The other group was the "skeptics". These, I include myself in this group, were willing to incorporate ebooks into the library collection, but did not put all of their trust into the format for the salvation of libraries. -- Read More

Kylee Rolofson of Greenwood, Nebraska had a special birthday party this week. The girl asked her parents to buy books for the Greenwood Library. During her birthday party friends brought books and DVDs to be donated to the Greenwood Public Library. All-in-all she was able to donate 50 items to the library. Read article

With people like Kylee Rolofson growing up today, I believe the library has a positive future.
http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2010/02/fifth-grade-girl-donates-books-to.html

I looked at a Nook on a recent trip to Barnes and Noble. Immediately I could see some real reasons why I like the idea of eBooks. I like the idea of loading two or three books on an eReader before going on vacation. My wife can attest to the fact that it would limit the weight of the luggage that we bring on a trip.

I like the idea of reading in the dark, when I have insomnia. I could sit in bed and read from a well-lit screen.

I also like the idea of being able to manipulate font sizes so that I would not have to tote around a large print book again.

However I will never, never BUY an eBook. I could give romantic reasons as to my decisions; the smell of new books, padded covers of collector's editions etc. Yet these are not the reasons that I would never BUY an eBook. I would never buy an eBook, because the book would never be permanent. What do you buy when you BUY an eBook? You buy the rights to download the eBook to a portable device or to a PC.

What's wrong with this? The books I buy I do not buy to hold temporarily. I don't buy bestsellers. I don't buy the next big thing. I buy books that I plan to keep for a lifetime. EBooks are the antithesis of this. Individuals who buy eBooks don't plan on keeping them forever; filling Kindle after Kindle with classics; libraries of flash drives alphabetized. -- Read More

It is the first day of school in the South Sioux City Community School District. I don’t know if they still do this, but I do remember some teachers asking us what we did during the summer. I wanted to change the question to “Things I learned this summer”

1. I discovered that I appreciate abridge audio books. This would have been anathema to me, when we began our audio book collection CD, but after summer vacation I came to realize how good audio books are. On a single trip to the Black Hills, my wife and I passed on two unabridged Dean Koontz novels and Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood because the endless description was putting both my wife and I to sleep. We stopped along the way and bought Stephen King’s The Gingerbread Girl, a short story and were entertained all the way to our destination.
2. Short stories are a joy. I usually go for novels or nonfiction, but King’s The Gingerbread Girl was a short story that reminded me that the short story is the crown of literature, being able to tell a compelling story without having to go back to the beginning of each character’s life.
3. Condensed books are a good way to keep up on new fiction, when you primarily read nonfiction.
4. The vast majority of the movies I enjoy most have strong elements of science fiction, animation and computer graphics. I should have known this, but sometimes you have to draw me a picture.
5. Nora Roberts is a more compelling author than I had ever realized.

OK, so not everything I learned is rocket science, but what do you expect it was summer vacation.

I just finished the Talk Back Column entitled The Cell Phone Police by Leah L. White (p. 36) of the May 1, 2009 Library Journal.

Our library's cell phone policy is somewhat in flux at the current time, with a pending change in directors. We have sought, throughout the changes in administration to take a customer service, rather than a phone police perspective.

We find that there are two issues in the cell phone question. The first is the many loud and varied ringtones. We ask that patrons who enter the library put their phone on manner mode, while they are in the library.

We don't police this in a hard manner. If someone is persistant in receiving calls, we invite them to use one of our study rooms to take their calls. This works rather well in helping to remind people that they can go to the study rooms to receive calls.

We ask patrons to step into the hall way or study room, as well when engaging in long conversations. We spin the issue by saying that it is as much for their privacy as it is a matter of good manners. We are concerned with quiet, but we are more concerned with best serving our whole population.

Quiet, manners, privacy and customer service are all equally important in our eyes.

I recently listened to an interview on NPR concerning the debate brewing in the Latino community concerning the participation of undocumented workers in the 2010 Census.

This is a link to the NPR interview. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104001209&ft=1&f=1003&sc=YahooNews

This is my response in The Antiquarian Librarian.
http://theantiquarianlibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/05/2010-census-debate-in-latino-community.html

The following thoughts come in the afternath of reading the article entitled New Look for Bradbury's 'Fahrenheit 451' from Publisher's Weekly http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6654436.html?industryid=47140/. As a lover of Ray Bradbury's work, as well as that of George Orwell and other futuristic authors, I pose a few questions.

If we really read Bradbury, Orwell [et.al]...

Would we be so quick to put our words into an electronic format which is so easily changeable.

Would we be so quick to weed children's books because of a "lead paint" problem.

Would we forsake our personal reading time for time with social media.

Would we continue to call ourselves information technologists, rather than the noble term of librarian.

I hate to be a bother, but I just had to ask.

Book Review: Together: a Novel of Shared Vision by Tom Sullivan with Betty White; published in large print by Center Point Publishing, 2008.

I saw the book Together on a large print book list. I was looking for some "gentle" fiction for some of my older large print users, who have forsaken much of general literature because they view it as being too vile for their enjoyment.

I was pleasantly surprised by the book. It is a story about Brendan McCarthy, who a pre-Med student who likes to live on the edge. With a hot girlfriend, Brendan thinks that he is on top of the world the fateful day he begins his descent from a mountain peak that will change his life forever. In a convergent story, Nelson is the third name given to a highly intelligent black lab that is going through service dog training for the third time.

Tom Sullivan and Betty White take a plot line that could have been completely formulaic and add sufficient plot twists to make you excited about turning the pages.

This book is a wonderful addition to any large print collection because it touches so many areas of interest for large print readers. The book proves to be a fairly gentle read, with only a small amount of bad language. As a dog story, it has a strong appeal to people like this writer who has black labs of my own. Third it offers contemporary gentle fiction that is not religious in nature. This will be welcome to patrons who do not want materials with vulgar language, graphic violence, or sexually explicit descriptions. -- Read More

The libraries that thrive in the coming years will be those that learn to offer the best glocal service. Glocalization is the new term that some are bantering about in the fields of politics and economics, where although the populace around the world is able to conduct global business at will, but the concerns of both the worker and the consumer is turning to local issues.

The libraries that can best master glocalization will me the most likely to excell.

Great glocal libraries will:

1. Provide the best databases available for their size of community. This means not only having the databases, but having traied personnel who are adept at using those databases.

2. Have a strong, yet diverse core collection of materials in both hard copy and digital formats.

3. Provide for both the educational and recreational information needs of their people.

4. Encourage and support production of creative works by patrons within the community.

5. Develop a strong local collection of both fiction and nonfiction works that represent the local interests of the community.

While there are more things that libraries must do to continue to be successful, these represent some of the core things that libraries must do to survive in the glocal economy.

The South Sioux City Public Library has just started a blog for the Picturing America Bookshelf entitled, Picturing America This Summer http://picturingamericathissummer.blogspot.com/.

The library will post pathfinders that they have created for each of the books in the bookshelf, share programming with other libraries and invite other librarians to share their Picturing America Bookshelf ideas with one another.

We are excited about having the Picturing America Bookshelf this year because it dovetails so well with the Summer Reading Program theme this summer: "Get Creative @ :your Library".

I find it fitting that National Poetry Month & National Library Week occur in the same month.

I was introduced to books before I could walk. Books, oral stories, nursery rhymes etc. It was no surprise that I would discover the public library. This was in the dark ages before Summer Reading Program, or Teen Read Week.

It took some motivation to get me to read even though I loved stories. It was originally stories about sports heroes that filled my book list. As I grew older, I discovered music, then poetry.

It was a small step from John Lennon's lyrics to the poetry of Robert Frost and Carl Sandburg. Teachers in school taught lyrics as a form of poetry, I was captivated by music like most teens. I listened to the music and read every book about every band that I could find. Those were either in the 780s music, or the 920 collected biography section of the library.

And right in the middle was poetry. I read poetry as a teen because I loved it and because several poets were on the list of authors that one ought to read before attending college. I read poetry, then American literature, essays, anything that would get a commoners son ready for college. But poetry was the key that opened the door for me.

Amid this week of remiinding our communities of the importance of libraries, let us take some time and remind our readers of the centrality of poetry to the library.